Musical moments in non-musicals
While we often discuss the acting, writing and direction of a TV show or movie, we rarely take the time to delve into the music choices that go beyond the score. I'm talking about when a popular song comes on in the background and completely transforms a scene into a piece of art or an iconic moment. Here are 10 scenes from TV or movies (no musicals though!) that are made by the accompanying music choices:
The first season of Girls really takes off with the third episode, All Adventurous Women Do. The episode's closing sequence might be one of my favorites ever from the HBO series. Hannah and Marnie share one of their few moments of true friendship when Marnie comes home to find her roommate listening to Robyn's Dancing On My Own.
I'd be remiss to talk about iconic music scenes without bringing up this one from 27 Dresses. If you skipped out on the 2008 rom-com, you've missed watching Katherine Heigl and James Marsden butchering the lyrics to Elton John's Bennie and the Jets. To honor the 10-year anniversary of the movie, which I saw in theaters twice, by the way, Entertainment Weekly sat down with James Marsden and director Anne Fletcher to break down the scene. In the interview, they discuss other song options that were considered and their love of the rom-com genre.
Thor: Ragnarok Director Taika Waititi had to wait out most of the film's production before he was given final word that Led Zeppelin granted him permission to use Immigrant Song in the film's trailer and throughout the movie. Thankfully, after footing the expensive bill, they got the rights in the end. The song give the film's opening and closing action sequences an extra punch. And it's definitely the reason I re-watched the trailer dozens of times.
The movie Almost Famous is a love letter to music, so it's no surprise that one of the best scenes features Elton John's Tiny Dancer. Everyone on the tour bus (and in the audience) can't help but sing along.
Luke and Lorelai share their first dance together to Sam Phillips' Reflecting Light in a season four scene of Gilmore Girls. While the song isn't well-known, it became beloved in the hearts of fans, and Amy Sherman-Palladino included a lovely callback to the moment in the Netflix revival. We'll always remember the change in Lorelai's face as they dance together and she discovers that Luke can, indeed, waltz.
New Girl often throws in key songs during pivotal moments of the show. Anything Could Happen plays while Nick and Jess kiss, Still is in the background during Schmidt and Cece's wedding, Rivers and Roads closes out season four and Prince sings FALLINLOVE2NITE during his cameo in season three. But one of the best moments of the series takes place in the season six finale, when Nick and Jess finally reunite. It was a highly anticipated moment, and when Lorde's Green Light came on, I audibly groaned, convinced this was the wrong song for this big reunion. But, of course, two minutes later, I'd come around, cheering as the adorable sequence wraps with Nick and Jess confessing their love in the loft's elevator.
The '80s classic The Breakfast Club would be nothing without the closing sequence featuring Simple Minds' Don't You (Forget About Me), which plays as the brain, athlete, princess, basket case and criminal read the essay they wrote during detention and Judd Nelson triumphantly walks through the football field, throwing his fist in the air.
Continuing the John Hughes theme, Ferris Bueller celebrates his day off by taking over a parade and leading the streets of Chicago in a rendition of The Beatles' Twist and Shout. Miraculously, his father, who is watching the parade from his office above, is so distracted by the festivities that he doesn't notice his son is in the middle of it all.
Set in 2002, Lady Bird channels the perfect song to sum up teenage lust with Dave Matthews Band's Crash Into Me. It plays throughout two crucial moments in the movie, including the hilarious scene when Lady Bird and her best friend Julie sob in the car and quietly sing along to the lyrics, as if they're incredibly deep and not incredibly creepy. Director Greta Gerwig wrote the song into the stage directions for the movie and penned a letter to Dave Matthews asking for permission to include it in the film. Fortunately, he said yes.
"The moment I wake up..." Rupert Everett croons to kick-off one of the best impromptu sing-alongs in film history. He brings an entire wedding party to song with I Say a Little Prayer in My Best Friend's Wedding. Problematic plot points and gender stereotypes aside, this film will always be a winner for this scene.
Bonus Pick: Ever wonder how songs are chosen for these specific moments? Vox put together an excellent explainer piece diving into the role of music supervisor on TV shows.
As Seen on TV
This week I’m taking a cue from network stations and putting our regularly scheduled programming on hiatus to focus on the Olympics. With the exception of The Bachelor franchise, which is doubling down on counter-programming three nights of the week, with Arie’s boring quest to find true love and the dreadful Bachelor Winter Games, most stations have suspending their shows as we all turn our TVs to NBC and begin to care about a variety of sports we never talk about otherwise. There’s luge! Skeleton! Ski jumping! And, my favorite, curling! This year, there have been gold medal moments during Olympic programming. Leslie Jones was commissioned by NBC to be a correspondent in PyeongChang, and she gifted us with this moment, where Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir put their figure skating criticism on hold to rock out to Beyoncé. Adam Rippon won our hearts with his engaging performances and dynamic TV interviews. Every skater/ice dancer discovered Coldplay. The internet is obsessed with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and their Moulin Rouge medley. Red Gerard fell asleep watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and rolled out of bed to win gold the next day. I learned that maybe there’s a reason curling is an Olympic sport and I shouldn’t be so quick to tell everyone that one day I'll join Team USA for my sweeping skills. And, of course, a round of applause for all of the athletes competing this year. I can’t think many things scarier than skiing down a mountain making sharp turns at 80 miles an hour or barreling down head-first in a sled, and these people make it look easy.
Haven't You Heard?
Over the long weekend, I took a quick trip to New York City to get a change of scenery, visit some family and see Hello, Dolly! on Broadway. While several cast members have left since the revival opened last year, the show still has a number of heavy hitters filling out the cast. Bernadette Peters is now starring in the titular role, and the rest of the troupe includes Victor Garber (Horace Vandergelder), Kate Baldwin (Irene Molloy) and Gavin Creel (Cornelius Hackl). Despite my love of musicals, I’d never actually seen the movie version of the show and had never listened to any songs from the soundtrack before attending the performance this weekend. I was truly missing out. I was laughing at the quirky humor and marveling at the dancing and costumes. I’ve been whistling the tunes throughout the remainder of the weekend and searching for bootleg clips of the show online. PSA: I struggled to find any online clips of the performances, probably because I witnessed the most aggressive ushers I’ve ever seen this weekend: They yelled at people to turn off their cell phones before intermission ended and shined a flashlight at an audience member until she turned her phone off, as the overture began. While you can't find much video online, you can still check out the full soundtrack from the revival cast. The album includes Kate Baldwin and Gavin Creel, who are still performing in the show (although Gavin’s understudy filled in at my performance and was immensely talented as well!), and you can hear Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce in the two starring roles, along with Beanie Feldstein as Minnie Fay. The cast won several Tony Awards last August, including best actress in a leading role, best actor in a featured role, best costume design and best revival of a musical. Turn on Put on Your Sunday Shoes, Elegance or the title song to brighten up your day.
Required Reading
To close things out, I'll point you towards two interviews with my new favorite Hollywood trios. Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon and Oprah have been making the rounds to promote A Wrinkle in Time. They sit down together for a conversation in O, The Oprah Magazine, where they show off their sisterly bond, discuss the long-lasting impact of Wrinkle, the Time's Up initiative and the power women have to change the world. Another trio to watch out for: Natalie Portman, Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson are also in the news for their upcoming movie, Annihilation. They talked with the Los Angeles Times about filming a female-led action movie, the Time's Up initiative and increasing diversity in front of and behind the camera.
